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Accreditation History of Homeopathic Education & Training in North America

1970-1999 — Small Schools, Seminars, Mentoring, Early Credentialing

• In the 1970s, the National Center for Homeopathy (NCH) conducted courses in homeopathy and homeotherapeatuics for licensed health care practitioners, as well as for interested laymen. The courses were held in Millersville, Pennsylvania, for several weeks in June/July/August. Annual “Summer School” was an outgrowth of the Postgraduate School for Physicians in Homeopathy established in 1922.
• In 1982, a group of senior homeopaths established the Council for Homeopathic Education (CHE) to foster quality education for homeopaths.
• Influential teachers from Europe, South America and India helped revive Homeopathy in the US. Seminars and study groups with these international homeopaths formed early year-round training resources.
• The first schools, with a full training curriculum for professional Homeopathy, grew out of these seminars and study groups. These opened in North America around 1990.
• In these early days, homeopathic training had a strong focus on methodology and therapeutics, with limited clinical exposure. Early training relied on individual mentoring for case work.
• During the 1990s, homeopathic educators developed a collaborative forum titled the North American Network of Homeopathic Educators (NANHE). It began as a committee within the CHE and later separated into its own organization. Annual onsite conferences became an important discussion forum for homeopathic education, curriculum and student evaluation. The collaboration from these conferences and teleconference meetings laid the vision and the groundwork for a later formalization of the Homeopathic Standards and Competencies for North America.
• In 1991, a group of senior naturopaths collaborated with homeopathic educators from the early schools to establish the Council for Homeopathic Certification (CHC). The goal was to create an exam and credential that demonstrated skills adequate for entry into professional homeopathic practice. A question database was created for the exam, and eligibility criteria were established. The first exams were given between 1992 and 1994.

2000 — Homeopathic Standards and Competencies established for North America

• In 2000, at a summit in Toronto, formal definitions for the homeopathic profession as well as necessary education standards were negotiated by representative stakeholders, including the CHE, NANHE, CHC, NCH, and the various membership associations from all sectors of the homeopathic profession. Review and ratification by homeopathic organizations followed.
• This agreed Standards and Competencies document was crucial for standardizing education and professional skill sets in North America. It established a baseline for schools to follow in their education programs. Some schools began to align their curricula with these standards during 2001 – 2005.
• It also established an entry level expectation for graduates and legacy practitioners to demonstrate competence through the CHC exam process.

2001-2006 — Council for Homeopathic Education (CHE) Prototype Accreditation

• The CHE board translated the agreed Standards and Competencies into school accreditation criteria.
• Curricula for theoretical and clinical training, along with requirements for school governance and procedures were published. A few schools were part of this early development and prototyping of accreditation.
• Many of the homeopathic schools were opposed to accreditation at this time. Discussion of educational standards and best practices continued through the homeopathic educators organization, the North American Network of Homeopathic Educators (NANHE).
• The CHE paused accreditation activities around 2006.

2007–2014 — CHE Became the Accreditation Commission for Homeopathic Education in North America (ACHENA)

• In 2007, the CHE was reformulated as the accreditation Commission for Homeopathic Education in North America (ACHENA), and the mission of accreditation was revitalized. Consistent outreach occurred, building awareness and consensus regarding the value of accreditation with all homeopathic schools and programs.
• In 2013, the Homeopathic Standards and Competencies document was reviewed by community stakeholders, with extensive public comment periods. The resulting updates were applied to accreditation and certification processes.
• During this time, the CHC attained independent accreditation for their credential through the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE) / National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). Attainment of ICE / NCCA accreditation required fundamental changes to the CHC’s credentialing process (eligibility, application, exam, oral interview, issued certificate).
• The CHC exam required alteration in order to establish a psychometrically validated exam. All questions were transitioned to multiple choice format. The homeopathic sample cases for analysis, and the subsequent oral interview were removed.
• The removal of these clinical competency components of the exam shifted the responsibility for assessment of clinical competences from the CHC to the schools. Schools were required to obtain additional clinical documentation for students, with an agreed minimum number of client cases and interactions. This change heightened the importance of accredited education, with assurance of meeting the Homeopathic Standards and Competencies.
• In 2014, ACHENA negotiated an eligibility criteria change with the CHC; beginning in 2018, applicants for the CHC exam would be required to have accredited education. The accredited schools were prepared to verify the clinical competencies that were no longer tested in the CHC credentialing process.

January 1, 2015 — A valid accreditation process was implemented

Compiled by Karen Allen, LHP, CHP, ACHENA President (2022-2025) and current ACHENA Advisor, with contributions from Todd Rowe, MD, MD(H) and Dor Remsen, ACHENA Editor & Librarian – 2026.